The present invention relates to a frame pulling apparatus for applying a plurality of pulling forces to a damaged metal frame structure such as an automobile, for the purpose of restoring the structure to its original configuration. More specifically, the present invention relates to a frame pulling apparatus having a plurality of pulling stations, each pulling station adapted to apply a pulling force on two legs of a chain extending from the apparatus and secured to the damaged structure, wherein each pulling station is adapted to apply two independent pulling forces at two separate locations on the damaged structure.
Ordinarily, when a metal structure is damaged, such as an automobile, it is necessary to apply a number of pulling forces to the damaged area in order to restore the structure to its original configuration. Specifically, when an automobile is involved in a collision, there is usually extensive damage to the vehicle's body as well as the frame. In order to repair the damage, it is necessary to apply various forces in a substantially opposite direction from the direction of impact forces which caused the damage. Essentially, the damaged area must be pulled out in an opposite manner in which the area was impacted. To do this, it has been generally known to use various frame pulling machines, which are known in the related art and are used quite extensively in the auto body repair business Almost all of these frame pulling machines are adapted to pull a chain secured to a location within the damaged area. Some of the frame pulling machines in the related art are adapted to pull several chains simultaneously, wherein each chain is connected at or near one end to a location within the damaged area of the automobile. Included in the related art are the frame pulling machines as disclosed U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,848,132; 3,955,397; 4,747,579; and 4,574,613. A common characteristic with each of the frame pulling machines known in the related art is that each pulling chain used is adapted to apply only one pulling force to the damaged area, being connected thereto at only one end. Because it is often necessary to apply a number of forces simultaneously at different locations within the damaged area in order to properly "pull out" the damaged area in a substantially opposite manner in which the area was impacted, applying only one pulling force per chain substantially limits the effectiveness of the repairing operation.
Accordingly, the frame pulling apparatus of the present invention has been specifically designed so as to apply an equal pulling force to two legs of a single chain, thereby doubling the efficiency of each load chain and associated pulling station, and substantially reducing the time required to complete the job.